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2000 NCAA All-Around Champion
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2000 NCAA Vault Champion
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2000 Honda Award Winner
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Eight-time First-Team All-American (2000: AA, V, UB, FX; 1999: AA, FX, V; 1997: V)
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Three-time Second-Team All-American (1997: AA; 1998: V; 2000: BB)
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2000 Region 3 Gymnast of the Year
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Six-time Regional Champion (2000: AA, V, UB; 1999: V; 1998: AA, UB)
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2000 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year
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Eight-time Big 12 Champion (2000: V, FX; 1999: AA, FX; 1998: AA, V, UB; 1997: UB)
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1997 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
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14-time All-Big 12 (2000: AA, V, BB, FX; 1999: AA, V, UB, FX; 1998: AA, V, UB, FX; 1997: AA, UB)
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Five-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Week
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First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2000)
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Nebraska's all-time leading All-American (11 awards)
The 2000 season was the culmination of an outstanding career for gymnast Heather (Rennerfeldt) Brink. The senior from <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln permanently etched her named into the record books, winning two national titles at the NCAA Championships in Boise, Idaho, as the Huskers placed fourth at Nationals to equal their best finish in school history.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
Brink became the first Husker female gymnast to win an all-around national title, scoring a 39.60 to lead the Huskers to the Super Six Finals for the third time in four years. Entering the final event, Brink was in third place and needed a 9.925 for a share of the all-around crown. She came through with the finest routine of her career, scoring a 9.95 and equaling NU’s school record to win by .025 of a point.
In the Super Six Finals one night later, Brink was flawless, posting the top score of the evening with a 39.625, including a 9.95 on vault and a 9.925 on bars, as the Huskers recorded their best finish in 11 years. In the event finals, she won her second NCAA title, placing first on vault with a 9.95, while also finishing second on bars (9.925) and eighth on floor (9.80). Overall, Brink captured five All-America citations with four first-team awards and one second-team honor.
For her efforts, Brink was selected as the Honda Award winner, representing the nation’s top female collegiate gymnast. Brink joined softball standout Denise Day (1985) and volleyball players Karen Dahlgren (19870 and Allison Weston (1995) as NU’s fourth Honda Award winner. Greichaly Cepero won Nebraska’s fifth Honda Award in 2000, as the nation’s top volleyball player.
The 2000 Big 12 and Region 3 Gymnast of the Year, Brink posted eight of the top 10 all-around totals in school history, including a 39.70 at the NCAA Regional. She also became the first Husker gymnast to achieve a perfect 10.0, recording the mark on vault against IowaState on Feb. 15 for the first of three 10.0s during the season. Brink closed her college career as one of the most decorated gymnasts in school history, earning two NCAA titles, a program-leading 11 All-America awards, six regional titles and eight conference titles.
2000 ? Senior Season
Brink capped an outstanding Husker career with two NCAA titles, five All-America awards, two Big 12 event titles and the 2000 Honda Award for gymnastics. A first-team All-American on vault, bars, floor and the all-around ? in addition to a second-team All-America award on beam, Brink took home the NCAA all-around and vault championships for a season total of 34 individual event crowns. She was honored as the 2000 Big 12 and Region 3 Gymnast of the Year, and also became Nebraska’s all-time leading All-American with 11 career awards. Brink was also named a first-team academic All-Big 12 honoree for the first time in her career and was chosen as Big 12 Gymnast of the Week four times in her senior season.
1999 ? Junior Season
After battling an Achilles injury in the middle of the season, Brink returned to health and was one of the nation’s top performers, going on to earn three first-team All-America awards. Brink claimed 10 individual event titles in 1999, including four on vault, three in the all-around, two on floor and one on bars. In addition to two Big 12 Conference event titles, Brink earned three All-Big 12 nods on bars, floor and the all-around.
Brink capped her junior season with a fifth-place finish in the all-around at the NCAA Championships with a season-high score of 39.40 in the preliminary session. Brink tied her own school record with a 9.95 on vault at the Super Six Finals and was a first-team All-American on vault, floor and the all-around.
In the NCAA individual event finals, Brink placed fourth on floor (9.85) and 11th on vault (9.50). Just weeks earlier, Brink took first on vault with a 9.95 at the NCAA Region 3 Championships, and tied fellow Husker Misty Oxford for the Big 12 all-around crown with a 39.375 for her second straight conference all-around title. Brink also won the Big 12 floor title with a 9.925.
For her success in the classroom, Brink earned honorable mention academic All-Big 12 accolades.
1998 ? Sophomore Season
Brink became only the third Nebraska gymnast to earn All-America honors in consecutive seasons, following in the footsteps of Michele Bryant (1989-90) and Kim DeHaan (1996-97), and tying for 14th on vault (9.85) at the NCAA Championships. Brink became the first Nebraska female gymnast to win a regional all-around title with a 39.475 at the NCAA Midwest Regional, in addition to showings of first on bars (9.90), second on floor (9.90) and third on vault (9.90).
Brink was a three-time Big 12 event champion in 1998, finishing first in the all-around, vault and bars and taking runner-up honors on floor. She ranked 13th nationally on vault (9.84), 16th on bars (9.89) and 17th in the all-around (39.02), which highlighted her five bars performances of 9.90 or better ? including a school-record-tying 9.95 at the Big 12 Championships.
1997 ? Freshman Season
Brink became the first Husker to ever earn All-America honors as a freshman, earning first-team awards on vault and second-team accolades in the all-around. Brink finished 12th in the all-around at the NCAA Championships with a 39.225 and eighth on vault (9.725). The 1997 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year finished third in the all-around at the conference meet and shared the Big 12 bars title with teammate Shelly Bartlett (9.925).
Before Nebraska
Brink competed for Coach Steve Nunno at Dynamo Gymnastics in Oklahoma City, Okla. At Dynamo, Brink also trained with former Husker assistant coach and gymnast Peggy Liddick, who went on to coach the Australian National Team. Brink was a member of the 1993 and 1995 U.S. National Teams and traveled abroad as a member of the U.S. Elite International Team. She claimed 10th place in the all-around at the 1995 U.S. Championships and qualified for the World Team Trials. Brink also placed first on vault and third on bars en route to a second-place all-around finish at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival.
Personal
The daughter of Gloria and David Brink, Heather was born on May 14, 1978. Brink, who has a younger sister named Abby, chose Nebraska over Alabama and Utah.
Brink graduated from Nebraska in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and now works for Ameritas in Lincoln as a pension administration specialist. She and her husband, Jon, welcomed their first child, Jaxon, in August 2006.
Career/Season Highs at Nebraska
Career Highs
Vault: 10.0 (3 times, at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
Bars: 9.975 (at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
Beam: 9.90 (2 times, Masters Classic, 2/28/99)
Floor: 9.95 (3 times, at NCAA Preliminaries, 4/13/00)
All-Around: 39.70 (at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
2000 Season Highs
Vault: 10.0 (3 times, at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
Bars: 9.975 (at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
Beam: 9.875 (2 times, at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
Floor: 9.95 (3 times, at NCAA Preliminaries, 4/13/00)
All-Around: 39.70 (at NCAA Region 3 Championships, 4/1/00)
1999 Season Highs
Vault: 9.95 (2 times, at NCAA Super Six Finals, 4/23/99)
Bars: 9.95 (vs. PennState, 3/14/99)
Beam: 9.90 (Masters Classic, 2/28/99)
Floor: 9.925 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/27/99)
All-Around: 39.40 (at NCAA Preliminaries, 4/22/99)
1998 Season Highs
Vault: 9.95 (Big 12 Championships, 3/21/98)
Bars: 9.95 (Big 12 Championships, 3/21/98)
Beam: 9.80 (4 times, at NCAA Preliminaries, 4/16/98)
Floor: 9.925 (at PennState, 3/14/98)
All-Around: 39.575 (Big 12 Championships, 3/21/98)
1997 Season Highs
Vault: 9.925 (vs. Oklahoma, 2/1/97)
Bars: 9.925 (at Big 12 Championships, 3/22/97)
Beam: 9.90 (Masters Classic, 2/23/97)
Floor: 9.775 (3 times, at NCAA Preliminaries, 4/17/97)
All-Around: 39.40 (vs. Oklahoma, 2/1/97)